ANOUSHEH ZOHRA MY BABY CUTY

Health Benefit
Food For
Childsrens

OCTOBER 24 2022

Posted By: Danish Subhan Sheikh

Health is Wealth: First of all children’s care

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Why older children and teenagers need healthy food and good
nutrition
Teenagers go through big physical changes in puberty. They need extra nutrition to fuel these
physical changes, which means they need to eat healthy food.

Your child’s level of physical activity and stage of development determine exactly how much
healthy food they need. But you’ll notice your child has a bigger appetite, which is their body’s way
of telling them to eat more.

What is healthy food for older children and teenagers?

Healthy food for pre-teen and teenage children includes a wide variety of fresh foods from the five
food groups:

 vegetables
 fruit
 grain foods
 reduced-fat dairy or dairy-free alternatives
 protein.

Each food group has different nutrients, which your child’s body needs to grow and work properly.
That’s why we need to eat a range of foods from across all five food groups.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegies give your child energy, vitamins, anti-oxidants, fibre, and water. These nutrients
help protect your child against diseases later in life, including diseases like heart disease, stroke
and some cancers.

Encourage your child to choose fruit and vegetables at every meal and for snacks. This includes
fruit and vegies of different colours, textures and tastes, both fresh and cooked.

Wash fruit to remove dirt or chemicals, and leave any edible skin on, because the skin contains
nutrients too.

Some teenagers don’t like eating a lot of fruit and vegetables. You can help by being a healthy
eating role model. If your child sees you eating a wide range of vegetables and fruit, your child is
more likely to try them too. And you can encourage your child to make healthy choices by
including plenty of fruit and vegies in your family’s meals and snacks.

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Grain foods
Grain foods include bread, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals, couscous, rice, corn, quinoa,
polenta, oats and barley. These foods give your child the energy they need to grow, develop and
learn.

Grain foods with a low glycaemic index, like wholegrain pasta and breads, will give your child
longer-lasting energy and keep them feeling fuller for longer.

Reduced-fat dairy foods and dairy-free alternatives

Key dairy foods are milk, cheese and yoghurt. These foods are good sources of calcium and
protein.

In puberty, your child needs more calcium to help them reach peak bone mass and build strong
bones for life. So encourage your child to have different kinds of dairy each day – for example,
drinks of milk, cheese slices, bowls of yoghurt and so on.

If your child doesn’t eat dairy, it’s important for them to eat dairy-free foods that are rich in
calcium – for example, tofu, kale, bok choy, nuts, seeds, tinned fish with bones, and calcium-
fortified foods like cereal, soy milk and bread. Not all dairy alternatives are fortified with calcium,
though, so make sure to read food labels.

Protein
Protein-rich foods include lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu and
nuts. These foods are important for your child’s growth and muscle development, especially
during puberty.

These protein-rich foods also have other vitamins and minerals like iron and omega-3 fatty acids,
which are particularly important during adolescence:

 Omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish help with your child’s brain development and
learning.
 Iron fuels your child’s muscle growth and increase in blood volume. Girls need extra
iron because of their periods.

Protein-rich foods from animal sources have zinc and vitamin B12 too.

Try to include a few different food groups at every meal and snack. Have a look at our illustrated
dietary guidelines for children 9-11 years, illustrated dietary guidelines for children 12-13
years and illustrated dietary guidelines for teenagers 14-18 years for more information about daily
food portions and recommendations. You can also speak to a dietitian if you have concerns about
your child’s eating.

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Healthy drinks for teenagers

Water is the healthiest drink for your child. It’s also the cheapest. Most tap water is fortified with
fluoride for strong teeth too.

Reduced-fat milk is also a good drink option for teenagers. It’s rich in calcium, which is good for
bone development.

Foods and drinks to limit

Encourage your child to limit the amount of ‘sometimes’ food they eat. This means your child will
have more room for healthy, everyday foods.

‘Sometimes’ foods include fast food, takeaway and junk food like hot chips, potato chips, dim
sims, pies, burgers, and takeaway pizza. They also include cakes, chocolate, lollies, biscuits,
doughnuts and pastries.

These foods can be high in salt, saturated fat and sugar, and low in fibre. If teenagers regularly
eat these foods, it can increase their risk of teenage overweight and obesity and other health
conditions like type-2 diabetes.

Your child should limit sweet drinks like fruit juice, cordials, sports drinks, flavoured waters, soft
drinks and flavoured milks. Sweet drinks are high in sugar and low in nutrients.

Too many sweet drinks can lead to unhealthy weight gain, obesity and tooth decay. These drinks
fill your child up and can make them less hungry for healthy meals.

Foods and drinks with caffeinearen’t recommended for older children and teenagers because
caffeine can affect how much calcium the body can absorb. Caffeine is also a stimulant, which
means it gives children artificial energy. Too much caffeine can cause sleep problems as well as
problems concentrating at school.

Foods and drinks with caffeine include coffee, tea, energy drinks and chocolate.

Healthy alternatives for snacks and desserts

Encourage your child to choose snacks from the healthy food groups. This can include things like
nuts, cheese, low-fat yoghurt and fresh fruit or vegetables – for example, carrot and celery sticks,
rice cakes or wholegrain crackers with dips like hommus, guacamole o tzatziki.

The same goes for dessert at the end of a meal. Sliced fruit or yoghurt are healthy options. If you
want to serve something special, try homemade banana bread. Save the seriously sweet stuff, like
cakes and chocolate, for special occasions like birthdays.

Thanks: Post By: Danish Subhan Sheikh:

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